Health Insurance Plan: A Must-Have in the Modern Era

The boom in the number of health insurance companies and the competition in this market denote how significant health insurance plans are nowadays. These health insurance companies are always competing with each other to provide the most affordable health insurance plan that covers many areas. With such an increase in the surgery charges and the cost of medicines, only a certain percentage of people in South Africa can afford to pay the bills out of their pocket. Therefore, the South African government has come up with many affordable health insurance plans. Many companies in South Africa have also come up with affordable health insurance plans.

The health system of South Africa is currently facing a multitude of problems even if the government has come up with some effective schemes. Firstly, there are the structural issues and secondly, the abundance of diseases. Structural problems in the health sector in South Africa include:

High costs in the private health sector

Cost drivers in the public health area

Low quality of health services

Inadequate human resources

Uneven distribution of healthcare resources

Lack of funding pool

The main cost drivers in the public health sector include laboratory services, pharmaceuticals, equipment, different medical products and surgical instruments. These cost drivers increases the hospitals bills. The fee-for-service model is prevalent in South Africa as well as in the rest of the world. Therefore, the costs in the private health sector are exorbitant. This results in an increase in the costs of labour in the public sector as it tries to match the salaries given out in the private sector.

Medical emergencies often take away our savings for emergencies and even affect our regular savings. Hence it usually affects our long-term financial goals. So, health insurance plans are always welcome in the case of any emergency. A sound health insurance plan will save you from paying everything out of your pocket. Taking a loan at a moment of medical emergency is also not always a wise decision as the interest rates are often high. Later, you may end up paying more than the total cost after adding up the bills. If an affordable health insurance plan is chosen wisely beforehand then the health insurance company will take care of most of the hospital charges and medical bills.

The health insurance plans usually cover fatal diseases and help in paying the hospital and medicine bills. Many South African health insurance companies have decreased the premium of health insurance plans such that everyone can afford them. There are different health insurance plans. Many health insurance companies offer affordable plans specifically for critical illnesses like cancer, Aids etc. if you have registered under a health insurance plan then it will cover your medical procedures, hospitalisation costs and even medical bills. This way it won’t strain your regular savings and you also do not have to depend on your near and dear ones. Thinking about its citizens the government of South Africa have taken care that the premium of these health insurance plans is affordable. Affordable health insurance plans in South Africa are therefore essential.

Now let’s look at the factors you should consider before choosing a health insurance plan.

It is wise to choose an affordable health insurance plan that will cover your family and all areas like hospital expenses and medical bills. If you have already been diagnosed with any critical illness then you should choose the plan accordingly.

Many healthcare insurance companies have a clear understanding that people from different backgrounds avail health insurance plans. Therefore, they make a variety of health insurance plans that may or may not cover all areas. You should thus check out the details of a plan before making any final decision.

It is important to review the scheme thoroughly as well as the provider. Not all health insurance companies provide good schemes and may not even keep their promises. You should also take into consideration the provider’s last solvency ratio information. According to the norms of South Africa, a health insurance provider should provide a scheme where 25% of its annual contributions of the members are accumulated as a reserve. You should communicate with the health insurance agents openly and choose the best policy.

It is essential to check all the aspects before signing on the dotted line. There is usually a list of terms and conditions with the health insurance schemes. You should go through all the points thoroughly. You can also compare the health insurance plans offered by different companies before selecting one.

It is thus essential to choose a health insurance scheme after reviewing and reading the terms, coverage areas properly. You should start to plan early in life as it always best to be prepared for future emergencies.